18
Fill your sails
in Chicago
Chicago’s nickname,
the Windy City, is particularly fitting
when canyons of skyscrapers channel
the gusts off Lake Michigan. Turn the breeze
to your advantage with beginner sailing
classes with Chicago Sailing that take
you out for two hours of an evening.
Once you have the hangof the technique,
let your gaze drift to the skyline – best
admired from the deck of the four-masted
schooner Windy (www.chicagosailing.com;
classes from ` 5,300; http://www.tallshipwindy.com;
cruises from ` 2,030).19
Cycle and
snack in Beirut
In the 1950s and 1960s, Beirut
was the Middle East’s party city. Though
Lebanon has come through hard times since
then, much of the old spirit
has resurfaced. Pool parties show off
the moneyed side of Beiruti life: try those
at the Riviera Beach Lounge, where you
can also go out parasailing. Combine
this with Alternative Tour Beirut’s insights
into the city to see how rebuilding
and gentrification are shaping different
neighbourhoods. There are two weekly
walks, or look out for dates of the Bikes
& Bites tour: a group cycle that starts in arty
Gemmayze, and pauses for samples of
typical Lebanese dishes (www.rivierahotel.
com.lb; cycle tours from ` 2,390; http://www.
facebook.com/alternativetourbeirut).21
Join the
promenade
in Cuba’s capital
The Malecón is one of the world’s great
urban showpieces: an avenue that runs
for four miles along Havana’s crumbling
seafront, and serves as the city’s living room.
Get an overview on a tour by bike or
in one of the pre-revolution American cars
that’s been patched up and polished over
six decades. After this introduction, join the
locals hanging out along the thoroughfare,
which is at its most glorious just before sunset,
or in moderate wind with waves breaking
over the sea walls (www.rutabikes.com;
bike tours from ` 2,030; http://www.campanario63.
com; car tours from ` 2,390).20
See Vancouver’s
underbelly
Canada’s window
onto the Pacific has perhaps the most
outdoorsy reputation of any metropolis,
but its history hasn’t always been as
wholesome. Among the tours run
by Forbidden Vancouver are ones
that look into the Prohibition era here,
concurrent with the time of mobsters
and speakeasies in the USA.
Change the pace by exploring historic
Chinatown, perhaps with a masterclass
in making authentic Chinese dumplings
(www.forbiddenvancouver.ca, tours from
` 1,325; http://www.chinatowngirl.ca).TRAVEL FOR CITIES
68 August 2019